Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Unavailable
    Writing Irresistible Kidlit: The Ultimate Guide to Crafting Fiction for Young Adult and Middle Grade Readers
    Unavailable
    Writing Irresistible Kidlit: The Ultimate Guide to Crafting Fiction for Young Adult and Middle Grade Readers
    Unavailable
    Writing Irresistible Kidlit: The Ultimate Guide to Crafting Fiction for Young Adult and Middle Grade Readers
    Ebook390 pages5 hours

    Writing Irresistible Kidlit: The Ultimate Guide to Crafting Fiction for Young Adult and Middle Grade Readers

    By Mary Kole

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    Captivate the hearts and minds of young adult readers!

    Writing for young adult (YA) and middle grade (MG) audiences isn't just "kid's stuff" anymore--it's kidlit! The YA and MG book markets are healthier and more robust than ever, and that means the competition is fiercer, too. In Writing Irresistible Kidlit, literary agent Mary Kole shares her expertise on writing novels for young adult and middle grade readers and teaches you how to:

    • Recognize the differences between middle grade and young adult audiences and how it impacts your writing.
    • Tailor your manuscript's tone, length, and content to your readership.
    • Avoid common mistakes and cliches that are prevalent in YA and MG fiction, in respect to characters, story ideas, plot structure and more.
    • Develop themes and ideas in your novel that will strike emotional chords.

    Mary Kole's candid commentary and insightful observations, as well as a collection of book excerpts and personal insights from bestselling authors and editors who specialize in the children's book market, are invaluable tools for your kidlit career.

    If you want the skills, techniques, and know-how you need to craft memorable stories for teens and tweens, Writing Irresistible Kidlit can give them to you.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherWriter's Digest Books
    Release dateNov 6, 2012
    ISBN9781599635804
    Unavailable
    Writing Irresistible Kidlit: The Ultimate Guide to Crafting Fiction for Young Adult and Middle Grade Readers

    Related to Writing Irresistible Kidlit

    Related ebooks

    Composition & Creative Writing For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Getting Creative With Reality

      Oct 1, 2020

      What do H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald, Notes on a Small Island by Bill Bryson and Tall Stories and Wee Tales by Billy Connolly have in common? They all belong to the increasingly popular genre of creative non-fiction writing. When creative non-fic

      6 min read

    • Article

      As A Matter Of Fact…

      Nov 5, 2020

      As A Matter Of Fact…
      6 min read

    • Article

      Your Nonfiction Book Proposal

      Mar 16, 2020

      A New Yorker cartoon published in 1999 by Mick Stevens shows Adam and Eve sitting together under a tree in Eden. Adam says to Eve, “I can’t help thinking that there’s a book in this.” Adam had a great idea. Do you? If you’re uncertain, this article w

      4 min read

    • Article

      REAL LIFE, Great Stories

      Mar 7, 2024

      REAL LIFE, Great Stories
      3 min read

    • Article

      Star Letter

      May 6, 2021

      I went out this morning for the first time without the stick, even though my knee is still hurting, from where I sprained it coming off the step ladder after painting a ceiling! I called into the newsagent up at the shopping mall, to get the May Writ

      6 min read

    • Article

      Idea Versus Premise

      Oct 30, 2019

      Idea Versus Premise
      5 min read

    • Article

      A New Chapter

      Aug 6, 2020

      A New Chapter
      5 min read

    • Article

      KEEP IT real

      Aug 6, 2020

      KEEP IT real
      6 min read

    • Article

      Picture book PITFALLS

      Aug 4, 2022

      Picture book PITFALLS
      5 min read

    • Article

      On Course To Be A Writer

      May 4, 2023

      On Course To Be A Writer
      6 min read

    • Article

      Small And Super Sweet

      May 5, 2022

      Often when we consider publishing, our minds turn to large, established houses but independent publishers can be a brilliant way forward. My first book Hodge The Hedgehog, illustrated by Benji Davies, was published by indie Meadowside Children’s Book

      6 min read

    • Article

      What’s the Story?

      May 10, 2019

      What’s the Story?
      5 min read

    • Article

      Precision Press Releases

      Feb 6, 2020

      Precision Press Releases
      6 min read

    • Article

      Evil Mcsqueevil

      Oct 6, 2022

      Anyone who has attended any of my Story Godmother workshops will know I am ever-soslightly excited about antagonists. Ever since I was small, I have been fascinated with ‘baddies’ and found them significantly more interesting than the ‘heroes’ that e

      5 min read

    • Article

      A Book For Every Child

      Jan 6, 2022

      The children reading today are the adults of tomorrow. The books we write can engage, educate, and empower them. There are two key things we can do: firstly, we can ensure every child can see themselves in a book; and secondly, we can usebooks to exp

      6 min read

    • Article

      The End Or The Beginning?

      Nov 4, 2021

      The End Or The Beginning?
      5 min read

    • Article

      How To Get PUBLISHED

      Jul 22, 2019

      How To Get PUBLISHED
      4 min read

    • Article

      The Quest For The Edge

      Jun 14, 2021

      A friend of mine is the marketing director of a California winery. One day, she called to ask if I’d be willing to help create brands and write labels for the bottles. “Why me?” “We’re seeing a trend toward consumers wanting stories,” she said. “They

      10 min read

    • Article

      Reviewers & Critics

      Apr 12, 2017

      PARUL Sehgal is a senior editor and columnist at the New York Times Book Review. Previously she was books editor at NPR and a senior editor at Publishers Weekly. She grew up in Washington, D.C., Delhi, Manila, Budapest, and Montreal, where she studie

      5 min read

    • Article

      Reviewers & Critics

      Oct 10, 2018

      PARUL Sehgal is a senior editor and columnist at the New York Times Book Review. Previously she was books editor at NPR and a senior editor at Publishers Weekly. She grew up in Washington, D.C., Delhi, Manila, Budapest, and Montreal, where she studie

      5 min read

    • Article

      Breaking In

      Feb 12, 2024

      Breaking In
      5 min read

    • Article

      Knowledge Is Power

      Mar 3, 2022

      Knowledge Is Power
      5 min read

    Reviews for Writing Irresistible Kidlit

    4/5

    10 ratings4 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      I thought the content of the book was useful and well-organized. Lots of good examples and advice from folks in the industry. The one big disappointment was the final advice to "get an agent." Kole has worked her whole life inside the bubble and has no advice for anyone wanting to explore self-publishing. There are other options to the gatekeepers.
    • 2/5
      The title promises a lot, and the author is certainly qualified, with a background in writing, publishing and acting.

      The first and last chapters are all about the publishing industry, so the title should really say something about 'writing AND PUBLISHING' kidlit. Actually, this dates the book somewhat, with the assumption that everyone is still interested in the traditional publishing route, completely putting aside that a lot of new writers will have decided to self-publisher. But even if you do prefer the traditional route, if you're a regular reader of the biggest publishing blogs, these chapters may not offer much.

      The rest of the book might offer a lot, if this were the first book on writing that you'd ever read, and if you've stayed away from the chestnuts of writing groups. Instead of this book, you might read Self-Editing For Fiction Writers for the technical bits, Save The Cat and McKee for the plotting bits, and Bird By Bird for the inspirational bits. Kole's chapter on 'Advanced' Kidlit is nothing of the sort, and borders on condescending. Imagery is a part of the Year 10 English curriculum where I come from.

      What this book does offer that other (non kidlit) writing books don't is examples from the kidlit world. But as acknowledged by the author herself, out of context some of those excerpts can't teach much. Better to read the whole book.

      In the end, maybe the thing I took away is that writing for kids isn't all that different from writing for adults. Apart from the voice, which Kole doesn't manage to describe any better than most. Better off just 'absorbing' voice by reading lots of great writing than trying to pin it down, I conclude. And as Maria Nikolajeva writes in 'Children's Literature Comes Of Age':

      'There is still another viewpoint which research on children's literature has quite ignored, and that is to approach children's literature as literature.' She points out that the writing of Astrid Lindgren, when analysed, is more demanding than the average book written for adults.

      In this book I guess I was just hoping for something more rigorous, and for something more specifically about kidlit. I was hoping for the kidlit equivalent of James Wood's 'How Fiction Works', which really made me think in a new way about... well, how fiction works. That, too, has a big title that promises some sort of breadth, and isn't anything of the sort, but I'd recommend that book to any writer.

      This book has introduced me to some excellent kidlit though, and I've now got some excellent new YA books on my to-read list.
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed this. It was a quick read and I read it on my way to a conference for writers. The information is not so different from what you would get from a conference but what makes the book unique is the kid lit focused examples. It is a useful reference book to have.
    • 5/5
      I've read a lot of How To Become An Awesome writer type books. I've attended conferences, webnairs, and followed a lot of writer blogs, and out of all of those great tools and resources, kidlit.com has always been a favorite of mine. So when I heard that Mary Kole was writing a book, I was intrigued. The book is broken down into the important things you need to know when writing for the YA or MG marketplace. It starts with an overview of the Kidlit Market then moves to describing the MG and YA reader's mindset. I'd like to think I'm well educated with both, but Kole gave insights I hadn't thought about. She then talks about the importance of a Big Idea in stories, the foundation of storytelling, how to make a great YA or MG character, how to structure plots, and she talks about advanced skills (such how imagery, voice, theme, author authority and authenticity. In case you haven't considered the traditional publishing route, the last chapter breaks down everything you need to know about it. The role of literary agents, the query letter, submitting your work, and a few more bonus tips and tricks. Again, I'm well versed in those areas but Kole brought a new point of view and a very interesting one since she's a literary agent herself. Reading this book was fun. It forced me to think about my own writing and gives exercises to help you find problems with my plot or characters. Editors, YA and MG authors, and other literary agents give bonus tips and insights throughout the book as well. Kole reinforces everything she says by showing examples from popular YA and MG books. She gives plenty of time to both sections of the kidlits.